Mo Writing: Book Review: Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell

If writing a novel is hard, revising it is harder. Congratulations, you've completed your first draft. Now what do you do? Take a break and spend a little time with Matt Bell. This is an honest and practical book that will guide your revision process. Instead of giving you endless exercises, it celebrates creativity moving writers through the three stages of writing. The tailored advice such as "write the islands" and "remove the weasel-words" is [...]

By |2022-05-18T07:22:22-04:00May 18th, 2022|Mo Writing|0 Comments
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Mo Writing: A Writer’s Permission Slip

You hereby have permission to write badly today. That is, as long as you write something. Anything. Anything at all. On topic, off topic, no topic. Just write. Go for it. Write as poorly as you can. Seriously, aim for the absolute bottom of the barrel. Permission granted. Go! The words that come out don’t need to be your best words. They needn’t compare to the shiny perfection that came out “that one time.” Fix [...]

By |2022-03-26T10:22:47-04:00March 29th, 2022|Mo Writing|0 Comments
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Mo Writing: When Similes & Metaphors Work

Similes and metaphors can effectively enhance a character’s emotion, personality trait, or even describe a precarious situation. Better yet, used when there's a quiet moment when the character reveals a truth about themselves. But figurative language can also be a crutch to adding a description to a scene. Some metaphors are too good to pass up but ask yourself these questions when evaluating whether they are the right metaphor for the right time. Does it [...]

By |2022-01-10T08:04:45-05:00January 12th, 2022|Mo Writing|0 Comments
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MG Tool Kit: Words to Write By: Celebrate Roald Dahl Day September 13, 2021

September 13th is Roald Dahl Day. Did you know his book Matilda is full of helpful advice for writers? Here are 5 favorite quotes from Matilda providing wise advice. “Never do anything in halves. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it’s unbelievable.” (Do not be afraid to go where your imagination takes you.) “She felt fairly confident that with a great deal of practice and effort, she would succeed [...]

By |2021-09-04T15:09:34-04:00September 13th, 2021|Mo Writing, Mo-tivational Monday|1 Comment
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A Chat with Rochelle Melander about MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD

Calling all writers, aspiring writers, and writing teachers out there!  Rochelle Melander’s upcoming book Mightier Than the Sword will release on July 27th and is a collection of over 40 biographies of people whose written work have influenced our world. Middle Grade Mojo chatted with Rochelle about how she brought them all together in one book and why. Middle Grade Mojo: In Mightier Than the Sword, you tell the stories of some famous people such as [...]

By |2021-07-19T11:07:20-04:00July 20th, 2021|Author Interview, Mo Writing|0 Comments
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A Chat with Chris Negron about THE LAST SUPER CHEF

Middle Grade Mojo loved Chris Negron’s new book The Last Super Chef. We had to know, is he a super chef? Middle Grade Mojo:  The level of detail in the cooking scenes is remarkable. Are you a super chef yourself, or is it all researched based? Chris Negron: I should have realized writing The Last Super Chef would mean I’d have to confess I’m not much of a cook over and over again! But yes, [...]

By |2021-07-13T11:33:04-04:00July 15th, 2021|Author Interview, Mo Writing|1 Comment
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Interview with Erin Entrada Kelly about her newest book!

Erin Entrada Kelly was recently awarded a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space and she won the Newberry Medal in 2018 with Hello, Universe. Middle Grade Mojo was honored to get to chat with her new early middle grade novel Maybe, Maybe, Marisol Rainey which released on May 4th. Middle Grade Mojo: In Maybe, Maybe, Marisol Rainey we meet the wonderfully imaginative, yet fearful, 8-year-old Marisol. You have said Marisol is a lot like [...]

By |2021-04-27T16:52:18-04:00May 6th, 2021|Author Interview, Mo Writing|0 Comments
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Interview with Aileen Weintraub, author of We Got Game

We’re so excited to talk to Aileen Weintraub, the author of more than 50 books for children. Her newest book, We Got Game: 35 Female Athletes Who Changed the World releases on May 4th. Middle Grade Mojo: You’ve written many other nonfiction books for kids with a wide range of topics from rocks and minerals to a knock-knock joke book to a book about the band Kiss. Why did you decide you wanted to write [...]

By |2021-04-27T10:17:54-04:00April 27th, 2021|Author Interview, Mo Writing|0 Comments
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Mo Writing – How I Got My Agent

I’ll never forget my first rejection. I submitted twelve queries to prospective agents for a middle-grade novel that I was convinced would amaze the entire children’s publishing industry. After all, I'd spent two years doing my homework, attending conferences, meeting with a critique group, and I was ready to start a career as an author. My first mistake was sending out queries just before going on vacation. My second mistake was looking at my phone [...]

By |2020-10-30T10:23:06-04:00October 29th, 2020|Mo Writing|0 Comments
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The Benefits of a Critique Group and How to Find One

Writing is a solitary occupation. Many hours are spent listening to characters speak in your mind, choosing the right words, and analyzing everything that goes down on paper or a Word document. A critique group is a group of writers who can make the job a little less lonely and help you polish your manuscript. Being part of one provides a network of people who understand the world of a writer. Their experiences, knowledge, and [...]

By |2020-10-27T09:38:22-04:00October 27th, 2020|Mo Writing|0 Comments
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